The Los Angeles Sparks captured the WNBA Finals on Thursday in a truly thrilling winner-take-all Game 5. After the Minnesota Lynx’s Maya Moore hit a jumper to put her team ahead with 15 seconds left, league MVP Nneka Ogwumike converted a third-chance opportunity on the other end to earn her team its first title since 2002.
Here the sequence that led to L.A.’s 77-76 victory:
What. A. Finish.@MooreMaya gives the Lynx the lead, but @Nnemkadi30 comes in clutch
Sparks get the W and the 💍 #MVPBehavior pic.twitter.com/Ozcx4h3eU2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 21, 2016
Afterward, in an interview with ESPN’s Shelley Smith, Sparks star Candace Parker broke down crying talking about her college coach, the late Pat Summitt.
Summit, who coached Parker at Tennessee, died in June from complications of Alzheimer’s.
https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/789290011480895488
While Parker touchingly honored a Hall of Famer, Thursday night’s hero, Ogwumike, celebrated with another one, Sparks part-owner Magic Johnson.
Magic congratulates @Nnmekadi30! https://t.co/L8Sg9ymhMe
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 21, 2016
All around, Thursday night was a huge victory for the Sparks, of course, but it was also a triumph for the WNBA as a whole. The game was phenomenal, not only in how it ended but also in how it was played throughout, and the stars put on a show, with Moore tallying 23 points, six rebounds and 11 assists and Parker countering with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sparks won, the league won, and everyone watching won.
